Some False Truths
by 123fizzi
Summary: How are Amy and Dan supposed to discover the truth, when all they've known are lies?  Based on After Book 6.
1. An Encounter

**A/N: Hi guys :D This is my first fanfic here. I actually posted this fanfic on the 39 clues Scholastic boards, but I was really unsatisfied with it, so I decided to post the improved version here XD**

**Here's my agent card if you want to add me: P27JM29CXP**

**P.S. 39 Clues does not and will never belong to me. Thanks!**

CHAPTER 1

Amy took a deep breath of the cool air. After the previous hectic days in which she had narrowly escaped death several times, been betrayed and had been braver than she'd ever thought possible, Amy was glad for a little time to rest. When she had burnt the two million dollars in exchange for a clue, she hadn't realized the gravity of the decision she was making. Sometimes, Amy wondered if she should just quit the competition and return back to her daily lives. But Amy knew they'd never be back to normal- ever again.

She turned and looked at her brother, who treated the hunt like a game, and sighed. He didn't understand how serious this hunt was. Right now, Dan was messing about with stuff from a store. If she didn't keep her eye on him, he was bound to break or damage something, and they'd end up having to make a quick getaway or pay up. Suddenly, Dan caught sight of something and started running towards it.

"Dude, this shirt rocks!" Dan grinned and pointed to a shirt. It read, 'Bow down before me, dudes. Ninja Warrior coming through.'

Amy rolled her eyes. Her brother was such a dweeb. How many times had she told him NOT to call her dude? Oh, about a few hundred times. Now, how many times had he listened? Hmm... nil.

"Hey, kiddos!" Nellie's voice came out. She bustled through the crowd, yelling, "Coming through, coming through! Get out of my way, people!" The crowd glared at Nellie witheringly.

Amy anxiously tugged on her hat. She didn't like it when anything happened that could attract attention to her. Who knew who could be listening, following them? She looked around, scanning the crowds for Cahills. At least, she thought, feeling relieved, even though she felt silly wearing a hat indoors, her sunflower hat shadowed her face. Sure, it wasn't as fashionable as what Natalie would wear, but it'd do.

"I'm going to shop around," Nellie explained. "Meet me back there, at that statue, in 30 minutes. Got that?" she pointed to a statue of an elegant lady who had lived a little while ago. Amy wondered if she could be a Cahill.

Amy nodded as Nellie rushed off. They were in a busy shopping mall in _________ [I won't put places, because it's not exactly a follow-up to the books and who knows where the next clue is?]. It was crowded, which gave Amy the heebie-jeebies, but as Dan had pointed out, at least it wasn't as easy to pinpoint them in the crowd. A small voice in Amy, the scaredy cat voice that Amy loathed, had quickly pointed out that it wasn't easy to pick out enemies either, but Amy tried to ignore it.

Amy walked around until she came to a secondhand bookstore. As soon as Dan had seen it, he rolled his eyes and backed away, but Amy pulled him in anyway. Secondhand books were her favourites, she reviewed, picking random books off the shelves. You didn't have to-

"I had to wear the same outfit for one whole day!" a familiar high pitched voice whined. "And the worst thing was, it wasn't Gucci or Prada!"

Amy peeked around the bookshelf. There she was! Natalie was dressed in a fashionable outfit, looking as stunning as ever. And next to her- Amy's heart pounded.

"Stop it!" she fiercely told herself. Still, her heart beat faster and faster.

Even though Ian had a look of utter boredom on his face, he was still as good-looking as ever. Amy found herself about to lurch forward and quickly stopped herself. _What are you doing? He left you in a cave…to die. He doesn't care about you_, she thought to herself.

"Come on, Amy," Dan urged quietly. "Just walk away."

Looking behind her at the Kabras, she quickly strode away, with Dan at her side…

...and bumped right into someone.

"Oh! S-sorry!" she quickly apologised. But then, she looked up.

A man who was the spitting image of Ian, smiled at her. Amy had a vague memory of seeing him in a family portrait on the back of the elevator in a Lucian stronghold. He was undoubtedly the Kabras' father.

She quickly backed away, but realised that Natalie and Ian had quietly caught up and were blocking any way of escape for Dan and herself. Natalie was smirking smugly, her eyes radiating triumph, and Ian had a look of… Amy couldn't describe it. It was like astonishment, dismay, smugness, triumph and happiness all mixed into one.

"Don't worry," the man spoke. "I won't harm you- unless you don't listen or refuse to cooperate."

Dan gave him a disbelieving glare and started to speak, but Amy quickly hushed him and pointed to Natalie, who had opened her coat slightly, showing a well-concealed tranquilizer gun.

"Amy and Dan Cahill," he continued. "I've heard so much about you- such talented children, who've bested even mine. My name is Vikram Kabra, and I'm the leader of the Lucian branch. I have some good news for you."

"R-really?" Amy tried to sound sarcastic. She realised she was stammering and bit her lip. She would not let her nerves get the best of her and tried to look Vikram in the eye. But there was something oddly difficult about looking straight into his eyes…they were all too familiar. Amy looked over her shoulder at Ian and quickly turned back. But the similarity was there. Those eyes were stuck in her head.

_Get over him! He's a jerk, no, jerkier than a jerk, no, a new definition for jerk, _she thought. She always thought the same words over and over again. But they had no effect.

"Yes, I do realise that we haven't been exactly nice to you and your brother," Vikram began, a sincere, apologetic look on his face.

"Exactly nice?" Dan exploded. "I guess that's a way of putting attempted murder, betraying and lying!"

"Well, yes," Vikram coughed. "I'm very sorry. But that was before we knew you were of our own kin."

Huh? Amy's mind clicked. No, it couldn't be true. It couldn't. It couldn't. It couldn't, it couldn't, it couldn't!

Dan's face turned red.

"Well, I kind of noticed you haven't been 'exactly nice' to your own kin, too!" Dan burst.

Ah yes, Irina. Amy felt a pang of sadness when she thought of her. She had given up her life for Amy and Dan's. Again, Amy thought about the gravity of her decision to take the clue instead of the money. She hadn't known that lives would be put on the line.

"That was an accident," Vikram's warm smile became slight forced. "We hadn't known she would try to save you."

Even Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, as I was saying," Vikram cleared his throat and gave a bright smile. "You two are Lucians."

He quickly put a hand up as Dan started to speak and quickly continued.

"I have evidence. This is a Lucian family tree."

He passed a few papers to them. A chart was shown clearly. Dan and Amy clustered together and read the chart. Amy's eyes ran over her own name and Dan's, then over Hope and Arthur's. She felt a pang inside her as she lingered over her parents', and then Grace's. The names were connected to others, and Amy recognised famous Lucians'. At the right, she saw the Kabra family, too. Dan looked at Amy.

_Should we trust them?_ Dan asked.

_I don't think so,_ Amy thought back. _Remember how many times they lied? But look at this family tree… I really don't know what to think._

_Me neither, _Dan's eyes read.

Amy gave the papers back to Vikram. Dan squeezed Amy's hand. They had their fights and differences, but they always were there for each other in the end.

"Would you like to join us Lucians and find the clues?" Vikram smiled.

Amy looked at Dan again. Thousands of emotions flew through her mind. They would finally belong to a branch, and not feel so alone, being the only ones who hadn't known their branches. But then, the Lucians couldn't be trusted.

_Maybe we could spy on them,_ Dan thought excitedly. _Like ninjas!_

_ Yeah, right. _Amy rolled her eyes and suppressed a laugh. At least he had made her feel better.

_So… we either make a mistake and join them, helping them in the quest, or refuse to join them, get threatened and somehow have to get out of the situation, _Dan thought.

In the past, it had always been Nellie or Dan who saved her. Or even Hamilton, once. But Hamilton wasn't here, and Nellie wouldn't be looking for them until a while after the meeting time, which was about twenty minutes later.

They were on their own.

"We have to think about it," Amy finally replied.

Vikram sighed, but did not seem to want to threaten them.

"Very well. We will wait," he replied. "Let's go," he nodded in indication to Natalie and Ian.

And they left.

**A/N: I love cliff hangers XD I'll post Chapter 2 once I get some reviews :D **

**P.S. Don't be threatened by this long chapter- this chapter was exceptionally long. The others are shorter.**


	2. A Meeting

**A/N : ****Hi everybody! Thanks for the good feedback :D**

**I know I haven't been on for a long, long while, but that's only because I had my exams *glooooom* and was busy revising. :/ But now that my exams are over, (yay! :D) I'm pretty much free to come on pretty often.**

**I didn't make a lot of changes to the original story I posted on the Stacks. I just wanted to show that story to a different group of people, who aren't actually very different XD **

**To the people who have read this story before, nope, I'm not going to add new twists, because like I said, I wanted to show the original story to other people****. After reviewing it again, though, I find that this story has a pretty weak plot and there are a few points that are not covered. But I was thinking of writing another fanfic about 39 clues, which (yup!) will probably have Kurt, Ian and Amy in it (Ooooh), and it'll definitely be better.**

**Lol well thanks to you guys again ;) Your comments were really helpful :D**

**Oh yes- to Sun Daughter who said that each chapter should be that long, I'm sorry, because that was the longest chapter I had. My chapter two is really short. :/ I was thinking of posting it with Chapter three, but I somehow lost chapter three (oops) so I'll have to go to the Stacks to retrieve it first. But rest assured I will find it and post it as soon as possible! :D**

**(Sorry for the really, really long author's note. You can start reading now XD)**

Chapter Two

Dan was surprised. Well, more than surprised. He was completely shocked. The Kabras had just left, like that. They hadn't tried to kill them or at the very least told them to hurry up.

That was just… wrong.

Amy had been quiet ever since their meeting with the Kabras. Dan knew that she probably wasn't just thinking about the fact they could be Lucians. She was thinking about Ian Kabra.

He couldn't believe she still liked him. Ian was a rich, obnoxious creep who would probably rather die than wear sloppy clothes. Amy was normal- well, almost.

While he was thinking, two people were having a very important meeting.

William McIntyre took a seat at a café, sitting across a man dressed completely in black.

"What did you want to tell me?" William asked, looking nervous.

"The Lucians have activated a plan," the Man in Black spoke. "They've lied to the two-again."

"I don't think the Cahills will believe them," William replied, confidently.

"Ah, yes, the two are learning not to trust easily, but this plan might just work. The Lucians decided to tell them that they're Lucians, too. Amy and Dan won't want to believe them, but they want to have a sense of belonging, too. They want to know their branch."

"So, will we tell them the truth?"

"In due time, William, in due time."

They looked over at the rest of the people, chatting and going about their daily business. Soon enough, their ordinary lives would change- not necessarily in a good way.

**A/N: Review, please :D**


	3. An Unexpected Visitor

**A/N: Hi guys :D No reviews… but nevermind lol XD**

**My friend Grace asked me to post Chapter 3- so here it is. **

**This chapter is not actually very relevant to the story, but I decided to include it anyway. And I think that maybe I'll insert a chapter between Chapter 4 that talks about what happens to Natalie and Ian, so it'll make more sense. Well, anyway, thanks!**

CHAPTER 3

Natalie sat on her king-size deluxe bed with her legs crossed, her posture perfectly straight. She was flipping through a fashion magazine [won't put any titles because I don't give free advertising!].

Her room's wallpaper was a soft pink, while the floor was completely covered in rich purple velvet carpeting. Her bed was a bright hot pink. The bed had been specially ordered to suit Natalie's needs for comfort, just like all the other pieces of furniture in her room. Her room was as huge as a five-room apartment, if not bigger.

Natalie's posture was very important to her, just like her hair, her nails and her clothes were, as well as another number of things. Mummy always made sure she had a straight back. If Natalie didn't keep her posture straight and upright she'd be sliced open by the scalpel. Even though Mummy wasn't here to watch her Natalie was scared. She might have installed a camera in her room to watch.

Mummy was going for another session of plastic surgery. She was having her wrinkles removed. Not that Natalie could actually see any. Natalie thought about how lucky she was to be eleven, not forty.

Ian slept just next door, to the right of her room. On the left was her bathroom- complete, of course, with a Jacuzzi, hot bath and everything else she needed. It was extremely relaxing.

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

What if the plan backfired? Would the Lucians lose out instead?

"No, no…" Natalie started shaking her head. Why was she having crazy thoughts? They made her frown, which made her get wrinkles. Obviously it wasn't possible for the Lucians to lose. No way, it definitely would not happen.

But what about Amy and Dan's real branch?

Natalie bit her lip and frowned. Could they be…

"You'll get wrinkles soon," an extremely familiar voice spoke.

Natalie looked up at Ian who had a smirk on his face. Her brother really irritated her.

"I'm not the one who has a crush on-" Natalie began, a mocking expression on her face.

All of a sudden, a huge crash was heard and the alarms went off wildly, reverberating throughout the mansion.

Natalie and Ian grabbed their ever-ready poison dart guns and sprinted out of their rooms. What was happening? If it was a burglar, Natalie had no idea how he or she got in. It was impossible to pass the security. Natalie made a mental note to fire the stupid security and hire new employees.

"If it's a burglar he should have been captured by now," Ian remarked, sprinting along.

They looked up, expecting to see the guards pinning a man down. But it could be a woman. After all, mummy was famous for having the most highly coveted jewel accessory collection and designer wardrobe.

"Don't let him get away!" the security was screaming.

Ian stopped in his tracks, and so did Natalie. They couldn't believe their eyes. A man dressed in a black suit was sprinting across the whole yard, which was a few kilometres long, without seeming fatigued. He even managed to continuously swiftly dodge the tranquilizer darts flying his way.

He held a brief case which he would hold up to block some darts occasionally; though it was evident he didn't need to. The man had a relaxed manner of running. It was as if there weren't hundreds of guards following him trying to stop him from running further.

Who was he and what was he after?

Ian started running towards the express lift. It was specially designed to move extremely fast, a must in cases of emergencies such as this. Natalie followed suit and soon they were on the second floor. What was Ian trying to do?

The man was below them, a few paces ahead. Ian sprinted and shot a tranquilizer dart.

It missed him. The man turned, gave a salute and then he was gone. He had escaped. Natalie gulped. Mummy and Daddy wouldn't like that.

Ian and Natalie were panting, their chests heaving up and down.

Their father strolled into the scene.

"Now, what happened?"

**A/N: Review- please? :D**


	4. An Argument

**A/N: Okay, I intended to save this chapter until at least five people reviewed, but my friend Grace was pestering me to upload this one too, so lol XD**

**I'm working on a new Chapter 5, a continuation of Chapter 3. The old Chapter 5 will be changed to Chapter 6. After this fanfic, I think I'll also start a new fanfic about what happens after book 9. Enjoy!**

CHAPTER FOUR

Amy and Dan were in _so_ much trouble.

"I told you to meet me at the statue in 30 minutes, not 2 hours! What part of 30 minutes do you not understand?" Nellie reproached. "30 minutes equals to half an hour! You know, half of the clock? I was worried sick!"

After the events that had occurred in the bookstore, Amy and Dan had just sat on the seats and stared at the family tree, which the Kabras had handed to them before they left. All the names were obviously real.

"I'm really sorry," Amy apologised timidly.

"Sorry?" Nellie exploded.

"You didn't know what happened!" Dan retorted. "We-"

"…were walking about and I found a second hand bookstore," Amy quickly interrupted. "I really wanted to check out all the books, so I stayed there and lost track of time."

Dan stared at her, confused. _What about that thing about us and the Lucians?_

Amy hesitated and bit her lip. _I don't know if we should tell her the __truth__. I don't know, I mean…well, it's just this funny feeling, see…_

Dan could understand how she felt. They had found out so much weird but cool stuff about Nellie they hadn't known before, but it was getting more weird than cool. Who _was _'clashgrrl', anyway?

"Argh," Nellie groaned. "I forgot how obsessed you kiddos can be about this type of stuff."

"You mean Amy," Dan corrected.

Typically, Amy rolled her eyes. Dan hated it when she did that. It was as if she thought she was so much more mature than him and that he was still a kid. She was so annoying!

"Those 'stuff'," Amy made some quotation marks in the air with her fingers, "are actually useful, you know! If you actually went near one you'd know."

Nellie sighed. "Now, now, munchkins," she started to chide.

Amy and Dan groaned.

Nellie raised her eyebrows and put her hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine! I'll go! Meet me at the statue again in another 30 minutes," her eyes narrowed. "You better not be late."

As soon as Nellie was gone, a weird silence fell between Amy and Dan. They were both thinking about everything that had just happened. This possibility was a lot to take in.

"I don't think we should trust the Cobras," Dan finally spoke up, a defiant expression on his face.

"I don't think we should, either, but…" Amy trailed off. "There was a family tree, after all, and…"

"Are you nuts?" Dan stared at her disbelievingly. "We're not evil masterminds, which Lucians definitely are!"

"Not all of them," Amy replied. "They can't all be that bad, don't you think? Look Dan! We have to look at the evidence and the facts! Just because you don't want to believe it doesn't mean it isn't true!"

Amy might just as well have punched Dan in the stomach. His expression turned cold and he was as still as stone.

_Fine._ Amy saw the fierceness of those words in his eyes just before he turned away.

"Look, I'm sorry," Amy finally spoke. "Really, I am."

Dan raised an eyebrow. Humph. Sisters just didn't get it. But they needed to talk. This wasn't the time for any arguments or fights.

"Whatever," he shrugged.

All of a sudden, he turned rigid and his eyes widened. His mouth quivered and he started tugging on Amy's sleeve.

"What?" she half-snapped, but Dan could tell she was looking rather afraid, too. She spun around.

That's when she saw him.

**A/N: I love cliffhangers XD**

**Review, please :D**


	5. Stolen

**A/N: Thanks to all reviewers :D You guys are the ones that keep me going. Anyway, this is a BRAND NEW chapter that has never been shown before! XD Not on The Stacks, and not to my friends (yet). The quality of this chapter will probably not be very good, so…**

**Anyway, I think I should dedicate the rest of my author's note to thanking some people :D**

**Thanks to: the people who added this story/added me to their favourite stories/authors list, the people who reviewed and the people who were on the Stacks! This chapter (and the rest of the story) is dedicated to them and Grace, Vanessa and Valerie. Thanks! :D**

CHAPTER FIVE

Uh oh.

Mummy and Daddy were _very_ unhappy.

"You've already failed me- erm, us so many times," Isabel snapped. "You let two orphans get the best of you, and now this?"

Ian bit his lip.

Vikram gave the two a hard stare, making them flinch.

"I took a break from work to come home, and this is what happens. But whatever. I'll let you discipline them," Vikram told Isabel in a monotone as he walked away. Still, to Ian, and probably to Natalie too, his voice was like a cutting knife.

As soon as Vikram had walked out of the room, Isabel spun towards them.

"No couture," she snarled at Natalie. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, her face full of horror, as if Isabel had said 'No air'.

"And you," Isabel began, almost snarling at Ian, but not really- snarls wrinkled up the face, and Isabel certainly did not want that.

"Mrs Kabra!" an employee rushed in. Isabel spun around, giving the poor employee a menacing glare.

"I am busy," Isabel spoke, clenching her teeth. "What do you want?"

"I-it's w-what was s-stolen, M-Mrs K-Kabra," the employee whispered, trembling. She cowered at the door, biting her lip. For a minute, Ian thought that the employee reminded him of someone who had deep jade eyes and loose, natural brown hair, but a picture of her terrified face while a few sharks swam beneath her flashed through his mind, and he shook away the thought.

"What?" Isabel quickly replied, the employee having gotten her attention.

"A-a b-bag," the employee replied, almost too softly to hear.

"That's it?" Isabel smirked. "So I was worrying for nothing!"

"B-but M-Mrs K-Kabra," the employee weakly protested. "T-the b-bag w-wasn't like y-your other b-bags. It w-was l-locked up and t-the b-bag had a b-big L on i-it, with a p-picture of t-two serpents w-wrapped around a s-s-s…"

The employee trailed off as she noticed Isabel's widened eyes. Ian saw something in them that he had never seen before-fear.

There was barely a hint of it, but it was unmistakable.

"T-the s-scene was c-caught on a s-security c-camera, b-but they c-cannot identify t-the r-robber."

Isabel ran off. Ian looked at Natalie, whose face was as unsure as his. Should they follow? Or should they stay and wait here?

Natalie got up and sprinted in the direction Isabel had run off to. Ian decided to follow.

The two ran after their mother, thoughts racing through their mind. The L and the two serpents had to mean 'Lucian'. But why was it so important that a bag with the Lucian crest had been stolen? Ian voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Stupid," Natalie shook her head. "It was locked up, which means that Mummy and Daddy didn't want anyone to get their hands on it. And, it's a _bag_. It probably has something inside."

"But what?" Ian enquired, slightly irritated that Natalie had called him stupid, though it didn't really seem to matter when they rounded the corner and bumped into Isabel.

She stood in front of a safe. It was closed and seemed to be locked, in perfectly fine condition. A security scanner was fixed on a wall next to the safe, and a few red laser beams were in front of the safe. The two children stared at the safe, confused. What was wrong? Hands shaking, Isabel placed her palm on the security scanner. The laser beams disappeared.

Isabel unlocked the safe.

There was nothing inside.

She collapsed onto the floor.

"T-the L-Lucian R-Records," she mumbled, her face filled with terror.

**A/N: I hope I don't sound too desperate XD but please review! :D**


	6. Discovery

**A/N: Hey guys :)**

**I'd just like to give a HUUUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEEE thanks to everyone who read this fanfic, especially those who continued to stick by me. Here's a thousand virtual hugs and cookies! :D**

**Yep- this is the very last chapter. Since it's the last, I tried to make it the best. I left Chapter 6 pretty much how it was on The Stacks like the rest of the chapters (except Chapter 5) but I added in some more stuff, and Chapter 6 is in three parts. Please let me know what you think and enjoy!**

CHAPTER SIX, PART ONE

As soon as Amy's eyes laid on_ him_, she pulled Dan down and they ducked behind the statue. Luckily, it was pretty big.

They hid behind the elegant statue lady's _humongous_ purse- if it could even be considered a purse. For a few seconds, Amy found herself admiring the detailed purse, obviously sculpted by a master at his art. Until she remembered the man who was standing just a few meters away, of course.

"Do you think he saw us?" Amy questioned Dan worriedly.

"I don't know," Dan replied.

The man in black stood there, facing them. Then, he reached into a pocket, pulled out an envelope and placed it on the bench.

Amy and Dan turned to face each other, and when they looked back, he was gone, leaving nothing but the envelope on the bench.

Amy gave a huge sigh of relief. Dan sprinted towards the bench and took the envelope. The envelope was a nice beige colour, with nothing on it but the Cahill crest. Amy shivered.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "He saw us and laid it there. It could be a trap or something!"

"Let's hope it's 'something', then," Dan retorted and opened it. He obviously was still mad at her. The seal was wet. "Eww, you don't suppose he licked it, do you?"

Without waiting for Amy's reply, he took out a piece of paper from the envelope and showed it to Amy.

"See! It's a letter!" he triumphed.

Amy grabbed it from him and read it.

"Not a letter," she frowned. "A puzzle."

On it were a few letters:

MADRIGL

HNNE CK TBI OUQSI

Amy and Dan looked at each other, and then they started to work on the puzzle.

CHAPTER SIX, PART TWO

Meanwhile, two children were being punished.

"I can't believe it!" Natalie wailed. "No couture? Then what am I supposed to wear? I am so definitely not wearing anything that's not branded!"

"Shut up," Ian retorted, irritated.

Natalie gave him a dirty look and turned around.

Ian knew that Natalie had just been trying to take her mind off what had just happened. The series of events had shaken them up. What were the Lucian Records? Why hadn't they heard of it before? And if they were Lucian Records, shouldn't they have been in a Lucian stronghold?

Most of all, who was the man who had broken in?

As soon as Isabel had seen them behind her, she abruptly recovered herself and shut the safe door.

"Go to the sitting room," she ordered, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at them. "Now. Await orders."

Ian and Natalie had scrambled off. They knew not to mess around with their mother.

Now, they were in the sitting room, left to ponder about what in the world had happened. Natalie was biting her lip and trying to look like she didn't care, but failing. Miserably.

Ian's head was propped against his hand and he tapped his foot.

This, as other less sophisticated people would say, sucked.

"Ian?" Natalie whispered. "What happened?"

Even though she hardly ever seemed to acknowledge it, Ian was her older brother, after all. When she didn't know what to do, she turned to him, since their parents hardly had the time for any child-to-parent talks.

Ian looked at her and shrugged. He didn't know.

Isabel strode in with an air of urgency.

"I have no time for this," she muttered, though the two children could hear it. "Like I have said earlier, you two will not be allowed to wear couture. Your phones will be taken away and you are not to have access to the internet. And," she paused for breath, "from now on, I will manage you on the hunt."

Ian and Natalie sat in silence as Isabel walked out again.

From the looks of it, Ian doubted he would ever know what happened.

CHAPTER SIX, PART THREE

"See?" Dan pointed to the paper. "Madrigal is spelled without an 'a'. There has to be a reason!"

"I think so too," Amy agreed. "But what's the purpose of it?"

Dan scrunched up his eyebrows, thinking. Suddenly, he brightened up and grabbed for the pen that Amy had taken out from her pocket.

"It could be the code word, see?" Dan explained, scribbling on the paper. We use this as the key."

M A D R I G L

A B C D E F G

"Then, you just continue writing the alphabet here," he continued to say as he wrote the rest of the alphabet in the second line. "And you write the alphabet on top, too, omitting the letters that have been written before.

M A D R I G L B C E F H J K N O P Q S T U V W X Y Z

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

"So, the code is 'Look in the purse'," Amy concluded, looking at the letters and the code written on the paper.

"What purse?" Dan asked, frowning.

Amy looked up, amazed. Could it be?

She stood up and looked at the marble purse that the statue was clutching.

Now that she inspected it closely, it seemed to be open. But it was a statue! Surely there wouldn't be…?

Dan followed her gaze and stood up. He reached out his arm and tried to find a way into the purse.

"Hey! There's an opening!" he grinned as his arm disappeared into the purse. He stuck out his tongue as he felt around in the purse. "I found something!"

He closed his fist around and pulled his arm out.

"What did you find?" Amy asked curiously.

Dan opened his fist.

An 'M' carved out of stone lay in his palm.

**A/N: YES! I've finally finished this fanfic! Thank you all for reading, and please, please review and tell me how the last chapter was!**

**Thank you all for reading Some False Truths!**


	7. An AN and a Random Super Short Oneshot

**A/N: Hi?**

**I know that I marked this story as Completed (I changed it back to Ongoing, btw), but some of my reviewers told me that the ending was a total cliffhanger and told me to make a sequel. I thought that you guys would understand :/**

**So, I would like you guys to review to tell me whether I should make a sequel or not. (I have an ongoing poll on my profile which I would like you guys to vote on, hint hint, but anyway, I'm waiting for a few more responses before I create a new poll)**

**And since we're not supposed to create chapters just for Author's Notes, here's a random little (super short) one-shot for you :D I know they're kinda OOC for this one, but let's just pretend that they're in a fun mood. Kay?**

Amy rolled her eyes.

"Stop that," Dan told her, frustrated.

"Stop what?" Amy grinned. "This?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically, causing Dan to groan in frustration.

"Yes, pleeeeaaaaase!" he retorted, sarcastically. "It makes you look uglier than usual."

"You're so immature, you know that?" Amy replied, _rolling her eyes_. It was a gift.

Dan threw his hands up in frustration and stalked away. Amy hardly ever counter-attacked. He was so sure that he was going to have the last word.

Amy grinned to herself. Amy- 1. Annoying little brother- 0.

**A/N: Yeah, totally random, I know. AND OOC. But still. XD**

**So, remember what I said in the first A/N for this chapter and review on whether I should make a sequel to Some False Truths or not! :D**


	8. The Epilogue

**A/N: Hey guys!**

**You know how I was asking if you wanted a sequel since the ending for this story was still a cliffhanger? Well, I've decided- I'm gonna do an epilogue to clear things up. **

**But don't worry guys- I'm also thinking of doing a sequel anyways. I think I might be able to write it by today and upload it here soon.**

**Okay, initially the stone with an 'M' was just a stone with an 'M', but I have decided to make something more of it. **

**Well, this is **_**truly**_** the last chapter of this story (though actually, it's an epilogue). So sit back, relax and enjoy! :D (And review!)**

~Epilogue~

Dan lay on the hotel bed, looking at the stone in his hand. It was very smooth and had that 'ancient-rock' feeling. Holding it, his mind was clear and every sense felt like it had been honed.

All of a sudden, he heard the sound of a key card being slotted into the hotel room's scanner, and the hotel door opened. Dan slipped the stone into his pocket and got up, tense.

"Relax, it's just me," Amy assured as she slipped in and closed the door behind her. "Is Nellie back yet?"

"No," Dan replied, frowning. Where _was_ she?

"Well, anyway, did you find anything?" Amy asked, slipping off her shoes.

Dan instantly knew she was talking about the stone. It was all they could think about, ever since they found it in the statue purse. They had scanned it for a while, then met up with Nellie. As soon as they had entered their hotel room, Nellie had told them she needed to go out. The Cahills were so preoccupied with wondering about the stone that they hadn't even asked her where she was going.

When over an hour had passed, Amy had volunteered to go look for her, but to no avail. She finally returned to the hotel room, where Dan had been lying on the bed analyzing the stone.

Dan took the stone out of his pocket and Amy sat down next to him on the bed.

"Does it mean that we're…" Amy's voice faltered.

Their eyes were on the carved 'M'.

"M. For Madrigal," Dan whispered. "And Madeleine."

Their hotel doorbell rang.

Both Cahills looked up, then ran for the bell, Dan slipping the stone back into his pocket.

Amy fumbled with the door knob, her hand shaking slightly.

"Hey, kiddos," Nellie smiled as the door opened. "Sorry I took so long."

"Why didn't you just use your key-card to open the door?" Amy asked.

"I left my key card in there," Nellie explained, nodding her head in the direction of the room. "Mind letting me in now?"

Amy and Dan jumped apart to let Nellie walk through. All of a sudden, Amy noticed the cardboard box in Nellie's hands.

"Hey, what's that?" she asked curiously.

"Funny you should ask," Nellie smiled. "I don't know, actually. Why don't we open it and have a little look-see?"

She placed the cardboard box on the floor as Dan and Amy sat down, opening it. Inside the cardboard box, was… another box.

This box was more of a treasure chest. Beautiful, intricate carvings covered all sides. Amy peered at it and let out a gasp.

"Look," she told Dan, tugging on his sleeve. "There's a wolf, a bear, a dragon, a sword with two snakes around it and an 'M'. They have to be symbols of the branches! 'M' has to mean madrigals- and there's the Cahill symbol on top, too!"

Amy started to open the box, struggling to get the lid off.

"Oh please," Dan snorted. "Let the dude try."

He took the box and started to try pulling off the lid himself, but failing-miserably.

"Want to let me try?" Nellie asked.

Amy and Dan jumped. They had totally forgotten about Nellie. They looked up at her, slightly suspiciously. What had she been doing just now? Amy looked at Dan.

_Should we let her try? _Amy's eyes asked Dan.

_I don't know,_ Dan shrugged. _But I don't see the harm in letting her._

They turned to a bewildered Nellie.

"Did you guys just have an unspoken conversation in front of me?" she asked incredulously.

Dan shrugged and passed the chest to her. Nellie took it and started trying to ease the lid off. It didn't work.

"Now what?" Dan asked, frustrated. He took back the chest and started to scan it, just like he did with the stone. The stone? Wait a minute… The stone!

Dan quickly took out the stone and started feeling all around the chest. Meanwhile, Amy had crawled over to the cardboard box to look inside.

"Surely there can't be just the chest inside, that's just pointless!" she mumbled, pulling the box closer.

She suddenly saw something, hidden in the corner of the box and reached in to take it out.

It was a-

"ARGH!" Dan groaned.

Amy spun around to look at him.

"What happened?"

"There's this curve on the Madrigal side, see," Dan explained, pointing to the curve. "And the stone we got with an 'M' on it fits perfectly," he lowered his voice, glancing at Nellie. "But the box still won't open."

Dan raised his hand and started to attempt a ninja-style karate chop on the chest, but Amy caught his arm- which was humiliating. Amy could grab his arm as he was 'karate-chopping'? Either that meant Amy was stronger and more agile than she looked, or Dan was really slow. And he refused to think either of those.

"Wait! Look," Amy said, pulling out the stone. She brought the chest to her eye and inspected the curve. "There's this key-hole there, can you see it?"

Dan looked closely, then nodded.

"I found this in the cardboard box," Amy whispered into Dan's ear. She opened her palm to reveal a key.

The key had an M at its tip and a C at the top.

Dan's eyes widened as Amy slotted the key in and turned. The key fit.

Amy tried to open the lid.

It didn't work.

Dan's brain gears started turning as he frowned at the chest. All of a sudden, he got a brainwave.

"There has to be a reason why both the stone and key can fit, right?" he told Amy. "So, I think we have to put both in."

"How?" Amy asked, raising her eyebrow.

Amy bit her lip as she scanned the stone and ran her finger all over it.

And she felt it.

Her finger ran back to the spot where she thought she felt it.

There it was again.

Right in the very middle of the stone, there was a slightly rougher surface. The rough part was very small and virtually unnoticeable, but it was there.

Amy's eyes lit up. She felt around the back of the stone and felt the same thing.

It was in the exact spot as the front of the stone.

Amy picked up the key and put it to the middle of the stone.

"What are you doing?" Dan asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "Are you crazy? That's stone. Like, hard stone?"

Well, maybe she was crazy. But if she was right-

Amy poked the key in the middle of the stone.

The key went through.

Dan gaped at the sight, his mouth and eyes widening. Amy had an aura of triumph surrounding her.

Hands shaking, Amy put the stone at the curve, then slide the key through the new hole in the middle of the stone.

Then, she turned the key.

The lid popped open.

"Congratulations," Nellie smiled warmly.

Amy and Dan almost jumped out of their skin, again.

"What were you doing?" Amy asked suspiciously.

"Watching you," Nellie answered, grinning.

"Why didn't you help us?" Dan asked.

"It's your challenge," Nellie replied. "Just look in the chest."

The Cahill siblings looked in the box. On top, there was a very official-looking envelope. It was stamped with an 'M'. By now, this was no surprise.

Dan took the letter out of its envelope and started to read.

Dear Daniel and Amy Cahill,

Congratulations on passing this very simple challenge.

You have been accepted as Madrigals.

We are sorry for not telling you earlier, but we have our reasons.

In this chest, you will find numerous things, such as a Madrigal handbook, a certificate and a picture album.

-M

Amy pulled out the picture album and started to flip through it.

Dan joined her, and they gasped at what they saw next.

It was Grace.

Grace when she was much, much, younger, but Grace, no doubt. She was with a man.

A man dressed in black.

_The_ man in black.

Grace was laughing, her eyes practically sparkling, even in the picture.

Amy flipped the page.

A young girl about Dan's age was sitting with an older girl and a boy.

Below, a caption stated "The siblings together."

Amy recognised the young girl as Grace. Grace had once shown Amy and Dan her childhood picture. The older girl was Beatrice. Aunt Beatrice.

But who was the boy?

They flipped the page, and a newspaper cutting fell out.

It was about a missing child.

Dan continued looking at the pictures, while Amy scanned the article. When she finished it, her eyes were wide with shock.

"Dan," she shook him. "That boy is-was- Grace's brother."

"Grace had a brother?" Dan asked, flabbergasted.

"Apparently," Amy nodded. "He went missing. But Dan, I think- that Man in Black- is her brother."

"What?" Dan asked, raising his eyebrows.

"The man in black is Fiske."

The two closed the picture album and took out the Madrigal handbook.

"Aren't you guys forgetting me?" Nellie asked jokingly.

The two looked up.

"I've always been looking after you for them. I know that I should have told you, but I couldn't-I was under orders. I'm sorry. But now you know…" Nellie explained, trailing off.

And that was when the truth sunk in.

"Amy," Dan muttered, looking bewildered. "We're Madrigals."

"Why did you even still the Lucian Records?" William was asking his friend, who, as always, was dressed in black.

"Just to shake them up. I've already put the records back in their proper place," the man in black replied. "The Lucian Records are nothing of importance. We already know all there is to know about the Lucians. The Kabras just need to be remind that they aren't always the best once in a while."

The two solemn men sat in silence for a while, wondering how two children were reacting to the little present they had just sent.

**A/N: I know that last part where Nellie suddenly gets up and tells them the truth is kinda sucky, but since I realised that I kind of forgot to include the truth about Nellie, I decided that the best part to include it in was there.**

**I hope you enjoyed the final epilogue! :D Please review and give me ideas on what I should do for the sequel, since I'm planning on making one.**


	9. Behind the Scenes: Secrets!

**A/N: LOL I was really bored. So tada! This is the Some False Truths: Behind the Scenes SECRETS! :D**

**I'm answering all those unanswered questions (mostly because most people never thought to think about this before).**

Why the story is called Some False Truths:

SECRET #1: The only reason I chose to name this story Some False Truths is because I thought it sounded cool XD I got the idea from One False Note (Book 2, I think)

Where the idea of this story came from:

SECRET #2: I don't know, honestly. I dreamt it up for this competition in the Stacks (but it turned out I was late for submission anyway XD and so I didn't submit it). After the first chapter, the story just kind of wrote itself.

Why I put the '~'s for the Epilogue when I never did it for the chapters:

SECRET #3: Just to make it look fancy, since the Epilogue is a pretty fancy word XD

Why I decided to make an Epilogue:

SECRET #4: Idea came from an anonymous reviewer, KLBooks. Thank you! :D

Why the last chapter is so long when all the others (except Chapter 1) are so much shorter:

SECRET #5: …Because I didn't cover a lot of stuff I wanted to in the earlier chapters?

**A/N: Okay, that was lame XD**

**Bye! :D**


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